Delicious Soup and so Much More

Sneak Peak of The Counter at Whole Foods

It’s so nice when someone else makes dinner. And it’s even nicer when that dinner is served by smiley, happy people. That’s what my dinner was like yesterday. I was invited to a sneak peak of The Counter’s new menu at the Whole Foods in Columbia, MD.

While I wasn’t too busy stuffing my face with everything from Sweet and Spicy Brussels Sprouts to Wheat Free Pancakes and syrup, I did learn a few things. First, this location is the only location with diner style dining available at a counter. The counter is open from 7:00 am to 9:00 pm daily and, you’ll love this, they serve breakfast all day. The menu was designed by the in-store artist (how cool is that), a really amazing young man named JesseFutter (jfutter.prosite.com) who went to Wilde Lake High School and came back to work full time in his old neighborhood.

What did we eat? OMG SO MUCH and something for everyone! Here’s the list:

Wheatless pancakes – I never learned what they were actually made with, but I don’t really care. They were so yummy!

Counter Fave – This is basically an egg sandwich with braised kale and kielbasa served on a whole wheat English muffin. Again, so yummy!

The Biscuit – Another egg sandwich with spinach, cheese and chipotle remoulade on a biscuit. This may have been my favorite. Maybe.

Tofu Scrambler – I have to say, when I got the invitation to this event, it was the tofu scrambler that caught my eye. I do love tofu and I rarely see it on the menu anywhere. This was delicious, and comes with hash browns and fruit. So. Good!

Now to the lunch and dinner menu:

Chicken & biscuit – Not a huge fan of this in general but knowing that it was made with whole foods and not anything processed made me thing this is something I could learn to love. Fried chicken thigh and a buttermilk biscuit with sausage gravy. I felt my family drooling from five miles away.

Curry Laska – I’m going to say this was my actual favorite. It had a spicy coconut curry broth, tofu, brown rice noodles and more. There was quite a kick but it was perfect for a cold winter day. Yum!

Avocado Tacos – So, I am not a big fan of warm avocado. I like it cold on a sandwich or in guac. Not much else. But the deep fried avocado on these tacos with the cabbage slaw and chipotle remoulade was so good!

Do you think that’s a lot? So did I but there was MORE!

Columbia Burger – Big tasty burger on a brioche roll with carmelized onion and mushrooms. By the time I got this, I was so full. I had a couple bites and I do have to say, it was one of the best burgers I have ever had outside of my home.

Last but not least…

Cacio Pepe – Think Mac and Cheese with spaghetti noodles and pecorino served with black pepper. I was full at this point. If my pocket had been lined with plastic I would have brought this home for my mac and cheese fanatic. They weren’t. He didn’t get it.

Entree prices range from $4 to $18. Not terrible, I thought, considering the quality of the food. And I am notoriously cheap.

There is something about Whole Foods. The people who work there are so genuinely happy. Everyone I’ve met from chefs to cashiers. Just. Nice. And these days, it is so nice to go somewhere and just have people be nice.